Girault is very valuable to Rutgers as he is in charge of ensuring the
defensive signals are distributed properly and that everyone is where they
need to be on the field. It's a duty that can certainly be performed by
others, but like many things in life, it's one where experience lends an
upper hand.
"He [Girault] looked a little sore today," Coach Schiano said.
A player that has stepped in for Girault and played well is freshman Joe
Lefeged. On the season, Lefeged has posted 23 tackles and three and a half
sacks, in addition to several highlight pops that have reminded fans of
the hard-hitting Zaire Kitchen.
Lefeged was the No. 23 safety prospect among incoming freshmen, coming out
of Germantown, MD. In high school, he was multitalented, playing
quarterback, linebacker, running back, wide receiver, and returned punts
as well as kicks.
"Athletic, speed, can uncoil, so those things [he can do] and he is an
instinctual player," Coach Schiano added.
Rutgers (5-3, 2-2) holds the series edge against Connecticut (7-1, 3-0)
18-8, but the Huskies have won three of the last five meetings.
UConn is just another example of a Big East team coming out of nowhere and
earning some of the national spotlight. Rutgers, South Florida, and now
Connecticut are all teams that were not very well thought of in terms of
football merely a few years back, but all three schools have made a
national impact.
"I have been saying this since day one when this league was reformed, from
top to bottom it is competitive," Teel said. "If you don't bring you're
a-game week in and week out against these teams, you're going home with a
loss."
Rutgers will look to contain UConn quarterback Tyler Lorenzen, who only
has 183 net rushing yards but does have 92 carries, which is only 16
rushes less than Huskies starting running back Andre Dixon. Lorenzen does
have 403 yards on the ground coupled with the 183 yards for loss. It is
important to note that negative yardage accrued due to sacks count against
quarterbacks' rushing total.
UConn's only loss this season came on the road against Virginia 17-16, a
game in which the Huskies had the lead deep into the fourth quarter.
"They are playing with a lot of swagger and a lot of confidence," Rutgers
defensive tackle Eric Foster said. "They are playing pretty good football.
We need to match their intensity and have more intensity than them."
Connecticut and Rutgers have had a history of playing toughly contested
games. Rutgers will have to limit turnovers as the Huskies are among the
nation's best in takeaways.
A source of concern all season has been the fullback position. Jack Corcoran, Andres Morales, and Jean Beljour have all played started at
different points this season. Coach Schiano has not found a reliable
source yet and will continue to try a mix of personnel.
"When you have one, you don't keep having a sweepstakes," Coach Schiano
said. "We are not producing at the position."
Rutgers will be playing in a tough environment when they visit Storrs.
UConn's fans have really gotten behind the nationally-ranked Huskies this
season, as they should. The upcoming contest for Rutgers marks only the
second time during the 2007 campaign that the Scarlet Knights have gone on
the road.
"Where ever you go, you expect the fans to be against you," Rutgers
running back Ray Rice said. "It is great to play in hostile environments,
everything is going to be against us. We just have to go up there with a
business man mentality."
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